NCJ Number
168407
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This is an exercise in following to their logical conclusion the anti-drug policies of the Reagan and Bush years.
Abstract
The Supreme Court indicated in its June 1992 decision in US v Machain that American law enforcement officers can enter the sovereign territories of other nations to legally abduct violators of US drug laws. Iran immediately proclaimed that they had the same right for violations of Islamic law. This article examines the possible consequences if kidnapping becomes a recognized tactic of international law enforcement. After critiquing the actions of the Reagan-Bush administrations in the war on drugs, the article examines the lenient treatment given to government figures in the Iran/Contra affair, describes and criticizes US involvement in Costa Rican cocaine trafficking (there was not a single United States indictment charging any US official with narcotic law violations and the only official accusation came from Costa Rica); and questions high-level US support for known international drug dealers, support frequently justified by claims that it is in the interests of national security. Notes